Vehicle toppers are sometimes used to display information and advertising on the otherwise vacant roof of a vehicle. For many years, these vehicle toppers displayed static images. In recent years, electronic displays have replaced traditional, static displays. The use of electronic displays allows content to be quickly and easily changed and permits the use of videos and interactive graphics, among other benefits. However, these electronic displays often require additional equipment, making them heavier than their traditional counterparts. Further, the market has begun demanding increasingly larger displays, which requires increasingly larger (and generally heavier) vehicle toppers. Those of skill in the arts of placing displays on the roofs of vehicles have believed that it was necessary to provide vehicles carrying such electronic displays with drastic, enhanced internal structural supports to enable a relatively heavy and large electronic display to be mounted to the roof of the vehicle in a secure manner. Theses enhanced internal structural supports require significant effort and costs to install. Additionally, such modifications typically require significant effort to remove and leave lasting changes to the vehicle, if removal is even possible. As an example, but not to serve as a limitation, one may wish to remove the display so that one can resell a vehicle and/or place the display on a different vehicle.
With the rise of private transportation service companies such as Uber and Lyft, personal vehicles are increasingly being used for paid transportation services alongside more traditional services such as public transportation, taxis, town cars, and limousines. Such private or commercial drivers, or any other owner of a personal or commercial vehicle, could benefit from being able to display advertisements and other information on a vehicle topper that is capable of being mounted to a personal or commercial vehicle without the need for extensive modification. Such a vehicle topper can be used to display information and advertising for a multitude of purposes, including but not limited to, generating additional revenue for the vehicle owner or driver. Therefore, what is needed is a roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display.
Roof mounted objects, such as but not limited to vehicle toppers, often experience vibrational forces. Such forces may be caused by traveling over bumpy, rough surfaces, or uneven road surfaces, aerodynamic forces, and/or the vehicle itself (e.g., engine vibrations). Such vibrational forces may be translated through the frame and other components of the vehicle to the vehicle topper. Exposure to prolonged or excessive vibrational forces may cause the damage to the vehicle topper or even cause the vehicle topper to become dislodged. Vehicle toppers are likely to experience a number of forces when the vehicle is in operation. In order to stably mount the vehicle topper unit to the vehicle, enhanced strength mounting components are needed. Additionally, components which dampen or otherwise attenuate the transfer of vibrational forces are desirable. Therefore, what is needed is roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display, where said roof mounting apparatus and system dampens or otherwise attenuates vibrational forces and has enhanced strength mounting components.
The present invention is a roof mounting apparatus and system for a vehicle topper having an electronic display, where said roof mounting apparatus and system dampens or otherwise attenuates vibrational forces and has enhanced strength mounting components. The vehicle topper may comprise a pair of displays placed back to back. The vehicle topper may have a mounting device for securing the vehicle topper to a pair of cross bars. The cross bars may be attached to a set of base units located at substantially the four corners of the vehicle roof. The front pair of base units may be located near the A pillar while the rear pair of base units may be located near the C pillar.
Each base unit may be mounted to the roof by a pair of threaded fasteners that extends through the cross bars and the base units and into rivet nuts placed in the roof, such as in the rain ditch. The threaded fasteners and rivet nuts may provide a substantially watertight seal. The bottom surface of the base units may be configured to match the pitch of the roof for each model and make of car such that the bottom edge of the vehicle topper, when mounted, is located substantially parallel with the ground and approximately ¼th inch above the crown point of the roof. Wiring may extend from a power source, the other electronic components for operating the vehicle topper, and the vehicle's computer system, each of which may be located in the trunk or beneath the hood of the vehicle, to the vehicle topper. The wiring may travel through or along the A, B, or C pillars, the base units, the cross bars, and to or into the vehicle topper.
The cross bars may be comprised of sufficiently strong materials and of be of sufficient thickness to adequately support the vehicle topper. The cross bars may comprise a varying cross section. The varying cross section may cause the cross bar to have different natural or resonant frequencies at different locations, as the cross section may affect the cross bar's natural or resonant frequency. In exemplary embodiments, the cross bars may taper from the outer edges towards the center. A center section of the cross bay may have a consistent cross section. The center section may be utilized for attaching the vehicle topper to the cross bar. The cross bars may be configured to receive wiring, which may extend therethrough. The cross bars may additionally be configured to receive caps on the outer ends thereof to improve appearance and aerodynamics.